BBC Local Radio

I congratulate the hon. Member for Suffolk Coastal (Dr Coffey) on securing this debate, and I echo her comments about the demographic profiles of those who listen to BBC local radio, its relationship with commercial radio, and the content of BBC local radio. I echo all her comments. The story is exactly the same for the people of Sheffield and south Yorkshire. My local radio station, Radio Sheffield, started broadcasting on 15 November 1967. It was the country's second local radio station to go live, and it now broadcasts not only to south Yorkshire, but to the north midlands. The signal can be picked up as far afield as the west of Manchester, the north of Leeds, and as far south as Leicestershire. In November 2010, it was voted station of the year at the prestigious Gillard awards. For us, the station is as south Yorkshire as a Barnsley chop or the famous Henderson's relish that goes with it. It is the radio station that people tune into to listen to local news or to talk about local matters.